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A service called Pencil Me Down allows customers to schedule appointments with your company via the Internet. Companies don't have to install any software to use Pencil Me Down, but they can customize the appearance with their own logos. The service can send notifications to customers and employees to make sure everyone remembers the appointments.

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Use a pen or a pencil rather than a software application to make your to-do list, and consider making many small tweaks to your scheduling instead of pursuing drastic changes, writes Lily Herman, citing a number of publications. Start writing down your biggest time-wasters, and set daily goals with reminders.

Apparel retailer Lands' End Business Outfitters launched a new Business.LandsEnd.com site, where businesses can customize merchandise with their own logos. The revamped site gives shoppers more product options and personalization choices, the company said.

It's best to keep your business' customer churn rate below 2.5% a month, because failure to retain customers can take a long-term toll on your company, writes George Deeb, managing partner of Red Rocket Ventures. To keep churn down, document why departing customers are leaving and address the issues they raise. "Where you can, look for ways of increasing the stickiness of your product or service, making it painful for customers to leave you," Deeb writes.

Companies and individuals are looking online to find virtual assistants to handle tasks such as answering e-mails and setting up personal appointments. Those in the market for virtual assistants can use an outsourcing service such as Zirtual or browse freelance websites to hire online helpers directly.

Andrew Gray, CEO of Royal Free Hospital in London, said the electronic medical records system launched at the institute -- which is considered a test for the system proposed for National Health Service use -- cost more to implement than planned and made it take longer for staff to schedule appointments. Gray also said the hospital had to hire 40 more workers to manage the extra workload and that the EMR system often broke down in the beginning. Hospitals should be allowed to customize their resources to their needs instead of using a "one-size-fits-all solution," an expert said.